Highlights from Porgy and Bess
Encyclopedia
Highlights from Porgy and Bess, the 1935 album of George Gershwin
's opera, was recorded just days after Porgy and Bess
opened on Broadway
on October 10, 1935. While the opera was performed by an all-African American
singing cast, the 1935 album featured mostly white opera
singers attempting singing the Gullah
-influenced words and music. Gershwin's involvement is clearly stated on the album cover, which reads "Recorded under the supervision of the composer."
The recordings originally came on 4 twelve-inch 78 rpm shellac records. RCA Victor assigned the publishing numbers 11878 Victor, 11879 Victor, 11880 Victor and 11881 Victor to the records.
.
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
's opera, was recorded just days after Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward...
opened on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
on October 10, 1935. While the opera was performed by an all-African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
singing cast, the 1935 album featured mostly white opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singers attempting singing the Gullah
Gullah
The Gullah are African Americans who live in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina and Georgia, which includes both the coastal plain and the Sea Islands....
-influenced words and music. Gershwin's involvement is clearly stated on the album cover, which reads "Recorded under the supervision of the composer."
The recordings originally came on 4 twelve-inch 78 rpm shellac records. RCA Victor assigned the publishing numbers 11878 Victor, 11879 Victor, 11880 Victor and 11881 Victor to the records.
Cast
- Lawrence TibbettLawrence TibbettLawrence Mervil Tibbett was a great American opera singer and recording artist who also performed as a film actor and radio personality. A baritone, he sang with the New York Metropolitan Opera company more than 600 times from 1923 to 1950...
(Porgy) - Helen JepsonHelen JepsonHelen Jepson was an American lyric soprano noted for being a "stunning blond beauty" as well as for her voice....
(Bess) - Alexander SmallensAlexander SmallensAlexander Smallens was a Russian-born American conductor and music director.Smallens was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and emigrated to the United States as a child, becoming an American citizen in 1919...
, conductor - Nathaniel ShilkretNathaniel ShilkretNathaniel Shilkret was an American composer, conductor, clarinetist, pianist, business executive, and music director born in New York City, New York to an Austrian immigrant family.-Early career:...
, conductor (for "My Man's Gone Now")
Track listing
- "It Ain't Necessarily So" (Act 2)
- "The Buzzard Song" (Act 2)
- Scene: "Summertime" and crap game (Act 1)
- "A Woman is a Sometime Thing" (Act 1)
- "Bess, You Is A Woman Now" (Act 2)
- "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin" (Act 2)
- "Where is my Bess" (Act 3)
- Lullaby:"Summertime" (Act 1)
- "My Man's Gone Now" (Act 1)
Re-releases
Parts of this recording have been re-issued by various recording companies on compact discCompact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
.
- Lawrence Tibbett: From Broadway to Hollywood, Nimbus RecordsNimbus RecordsNimbus Records is a British record company specializing in classical music recordings.Nimbus was founded in 1972 by the late bass singer Numa Labinsky and the brothers Michael and Gerald Reynolds and has traditionally been based at the Wyastone Leys mansion site, near Monmouth and the English/Welsh...
, UPC 710357788123 http://www.wyastone.co.uk/nrl/pvoce/7881a.html - Porgy and Bess (Original Cast Recordings) (1935-1942), Naxos RecordsNaxos RecordsNaxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...
, 8.110219-20 http://www.naxos.com/mainsite/NaxosCat/naxos_cat.asp?item_code=8.110219-20